Construction of dams



`une 9, 1925.l 1,541,475

c. BRYNOLDT CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS Filed oct. 25, 1922 5 sheets-sheet 1 Iw @mm im A June4 9, '1925i' l 1,541,475

4:.V BRYNOLDT CONSTRUCTION oF mms Filed Oct. 25. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Jurxe 9, 1925.

c. BRYNoLD-r CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS Filed oci. 25, 1922 5 sheets-sheet 4C. BRYNOLDT CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS June 9, 1925.

Filed Oct. 25. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet' 5 314. anbei Patented J une 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

I CHRISTIAN nnYNoLn'r, yor rrrrsnuaen, rENNsYLvANrA, AssreNon ToBLAW-KNQX COMPANY, A CORPORATION oF NEW JERSEY'.

CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS.

Application led October 25, 1922. Serial No. 596,816.

To all whom z't may concern.'

a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and- State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in the Construction of Dams,of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to 'the' construction 'of dams, embankments, andthe like, and

' affords novel methods and apparatus for that purpose. It isparticularly advanta# ,J :geous for the building of concrete dams andembankments.

Heretofore, s'uch structures have been built in rather piecemealfashion, generally by the construction of a number of more or lessseparate or isolated blocks, which were begun, carried on, and completedpretty much as individual units. This mode of construction is subject tovery serious drawbacks, however, in that, first, it entails setting upand taking down again the forms and much of the other equipment for eachand every such block of the dam,-a very laborious and costlyproceeding,and secondly, in that the forms are nearly always in the wayof the concrete mixing and conveying apparatus. In general, the methodisessentially inconsistent with arranging and co-ordinating equipmentand operations in such a way as to secure any great degree ofconvenienceexpedition, oreconomy.

It is a prime object of my present invention to overcome all suchdifficulties, and to enable dam-building to be carried on in an orderly,convenient, expeditious, and economical manner. This I aim to accomplishby a wholly different system of construction, which 'not only allows-verconvenient and economical types of traveling forms to be employed andfacilitates the actual setting up and `filling of the forms, but alsoaffords much greater convenience in the arrangement and use of theequipment generally, and much greater facility for conveying andhandling both concrete and equipme'ut. I also-aim to provide a paratusand equipment that will expedite, cilitate, and cheapen the variousoperations involved in and bythemselves.

How these and other advantages can be realized through the inventionwill appear from my description hereinafter of the best methods andapparatus fr its'purposes that :are known to me.' However, the detailedBeit known that I, CHRISTTANBRYNOLDT,

description will be rendered clearer and more readily intelligible byabrief prelimiing out my invention that I shall presently proceed todescribe is the construction of a' wall (orpwalls) which may afterwardform a part of the completed dam, and the completion or filling out ofthe dam to its full section or thickness beside this wall. Such apreliminary wall may be easily and quickly built up ahead of the rest ofthe dam (preferably with a traveling form), and may then serve as aconvenient pathway and means of support for the subsequent filling inand other operations, and even, indeed (ultimately) as a foundation forup per portions of the dam. This preliminary wall may be started at anyelevation, as soon as s'ufiicient footing or foundation is in .place inthe dam site; and it may either be completed to its full height at theoutset (even to the very top of the dam), or built up progressively, asthe rest of the dam is filled in against it. Such a -wall may occupyvarious positions in the dam: thus l2); or there may be two such walls,one

at each face of the dam, .and the structure may be completed by fillingin between them (Figs. 13, 14, and 15). IVhich of these variant modesof, construction should be preferred in practice depends, of course, onthe cross section of the dam to be built, and

also on other considerations peculiar to eaclr partlcular case: indeed,different modesl may sometimes be employed to good advantage indifferent longitudinal or vertical sections of the very same dam.Oftentimes,

too, the preliminary wall may be stoppedwhen a certain height isreached, and the: upper portion of the dam completed as one crosssectionalv unit (Fig. l11), preferably by means of a suitable travelingform.

' In the drawings, Fig. l shows a crossYV section throughl the bed of astream, and

illustrates in side elevation a rather early stage in the constructionof a dam accordin to my invention.

`ig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a more dvanced stage in theconstruction of the Fig. 2" is a plan vview somewhat more advanced stagethan that illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, taken as indicated b the line 4-4 inFig. l, but on a larger sca e and with certain parts omitted,illustrating one stage in the construction of a dam according totheifacial wall variation of my preliminary wall method.`

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, taken as indicated by the line v5I`5'in Fig. 2, Ybut showing a somewhat less advanced stage of operationsthan shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6'is a cross sectional view, taken asv indicated by the line 6 6 inFig. 2, illustrating the arrangement of apparatus forv supplyingconcrete from a mixer (not i shown) `for construction of the dam.

'Fig 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sec-- tional view, taken through aform as indicated by the line 7-7 in Fig. 4, illustrating the 'mouldingof anchor bolts into the concrete.A

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view, taken as indicated by the line 8-8 inFig. 2, but Aon a larger scale, illustratingy certain features of theform Vstructures and associated parts.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentar view, taken as indicated b vertical' sectional ythe line 9,-9 in Fig. 8.

ig. l0 is a View showing the dam completed to the full height indicatedYin Fig. 2. Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view somewhat similar to Figs..4 and 6, illustrating fthe build-ing of the top portion of a dam as oneflros's sectional unit, by means of a traveling orm. l v

Fig. 12 is a cross Isectional Aview corre -for closing the end of a wallspace` that isVV also useful for the construction ofthe preliminary wallin other forms of my method.

Fig. 15 vis a 'fragmentary plan 'view -corre'- Y v i for fillingi'nfloose green concrete beside the wall D the full length of thelatter.

spending to Fig. ,14, but with certain parts omitted. 1 i ,j-w .a y

In Fig.1 the dam site is shown with the foundations A built or preparedfor' its enof the dam at a" and tire length-up to thelevel of theirregular broken line. In the bed` of the stream, an

additional concrete footing'or base structure B has been built up to thelevel of the lowermost full horizontal line, with an opening Ctherethrough for the. stream flow. On the footing A,l B, the preliminaryconcrete wall 'D has been built up to about the height of the rails-21all the way across the stream bed, and has been 'carried on up to thehigher level shown for nearly half the intended length of the dam. Aswill be seen from Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the latter portion of this .i

Wall D has been built in monolithic sections ai interengaged andinterlocked with tongue and groove construction joints, and a couple ofsets of units of traveling Wali form apparatus 24 are in place for theconstruct-ion of' an additional wall section l adjacent the center ofthe dam. The track'or rails 2l onr which the wall form apparatus 24 runshave been extended all the way across the stream bed, being laid onlongitudinal str'ingers 25 resting on supports 26 which are themselvesvlaid on the footing E or secured bracketwise (as by ancl1ors27 embeddedin the concrete) to the lowermost portion of the wall D, 'in the mannervindicated inFigs. 4 and 5..

clined tower andv conveyor mechanism 32,1- all as illustrated in Fig. 6.`(We here use the .expression loose in reference to the lack of cohesionof freshly mixed concrete, before ,it has "sea-without*any-implicationaste existence of voids or want of compactness.)

In Fig.- 2, therow of wall sections d has been extended and completedthe full length of the dam, and a second series of similar wall sectionsd has been built on top of them from the right hand end of the damnearly tothe middle-wherel the traveling wall form apparatus 24is shownin place for they/construction of 'an additional sex;-r tion d. As showninl Fig. 5, the upper and lower wall ortionsl d and d are interengagedand' interlocked with double tongue oove' construction joints.

Tlietrack a `21'with its bracket supports '26 has been' raised4 from itsposition in Fig. 1 to about the top-'of the lwall portion d and greatly.Extended, so. as to. be availablefor the travel of4 the wall form24f-and of apparatus 35 'the track 28 has been removed fromV the topofthe older potion'd to make way forA the new wall sections d,.it has beenlaid and extended along on top of the portion d to carry cars" 29 toserve the forms 24 on t-he raised track 21. Also, track 21 for travelingapparatus for filling in concrete beside the wall D has been laidalongside the top of the portiond', on bracket ysupports 26 secured tothe latter. (If it be desired t0 carry the wall Don up another lift, theupper track 21 will, of course, serve to support the wall forms 24 forthat pur.

pose.) Loading hopper, chute, and elevator apparatus 30, 31, and 32 suchas shown in Fig. 6 and already described has been provided for servingthe cars 29 on the upper track 28.

Referring now, more particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that eachunit of the wall form apparatus 24 comprises a truss-built traveler ofwhat may be termed a.stra'd dling type, with cooperating steel platewall forms 41 laterally and vertically adjustable between its legs orsides 42 that rest and run on the track 21. rods V43 (that can bewithdrawn after the concrete has set) may extend across between the legs42 to prevent spreading apart-.of the forms 41. As shown, the wholeapparatus 24 is properly set up o-n top of the lower wall portion d,ready to mould an upper wall section d as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.Along the top of the traveler 40, lengthwise o-f the wall D, extendtrack lengths 44 that serve as extensions of the tracks 28 to receive'the cars 29 and facilitate delivery of their concrete between the forms41. As shown, a pair of such tracks 44 are suspended side by side fromthe transverse bridge structure 45 of the traveler 40 (by adjustablelink rods 46), directly over the wall space between the forms 41. Itwill be seen, therefore, that the cars 29 may be either side or bottomdumpingg-since the one type can dump into the forms 41 between theadjacent pair'of rails 44, and the other type between its own rails. Asshown in. Fig. 7, the steel plate forms 41 are preferably provided withupright channels 47 (of double angle'bar construc-` tion) at suitableintervals on their outer faces. The anc-hor bolts 27 that afterwardsecure. the track supporting brackets 26 to the wall D are inserted inalignedho-les in kform plates and channel flangesvbefore the forms 41are filled 'withconc'rete7 and thus become firmly embedded inthe wall atthe correct interval and height. Preferably,

these anchor bolts 27 are double ended, with nuts 48 screwed on theirembedded ends as well asV securing nuts 49 for the brackets 26011 theirprojecting ends; so that eventually these bolts 27 can be unscrewed Staybolt jecting lower ends of the bars 61.

be seen that the apparatus 35 for filling in the dam portion E in besidethe wall'D comprises a traveler 50 adapted (like the traveier-'24) to bemoved or run along the top of the wall l) on the rails 21, over the cartracks 2S. with ample clearance beneath. for cars 29 ruuuingon saidlatter tracks. 'lhis traveler 5() is equipped with means for taking orreceiving concrete from cars 29 underneath, and distributing it asrequired. As shown, there is a steam engine operated elevator comprisingone or ,more hoppers or buckets 51 adapted to run up and down in ways 52extending upward from beside the tracks 28, and to dump overboard into ahopper 53 as the hoisting cable 54 brings such bucket to the top of itsupward course. The concrete can either be dumped sidewise from cars 29directly into the buckets 5l, or else simply shovelled into thesebuckets. 'lhe hopper 53 is mounted on a sort of lateral boom structure55, pivoted to the traveler at 56 to swing horizontally, and deliversinto gravitational distributing means in the form of inclined troughs57, 5S. 7h-at with the swing of the boom 55 and the movement of theAtraveler 5() along the tracks 21, it will be seen, the concrete can bedelivered yand distributed at pleasure over a wide area beside the wall20.

For the face of the dam remote from-the wall l), l prefer to employsteel plate forms 6() such as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, shiftableupward along the dam face as the concrete is filled in between them andthe wall.

As shown, each suchform 60 has transverse angle bars 6l that extend somedistance lbelow the lower edge of the form plate, so that the form canbe secured in place by anchor bolts 27 (just like those shown in Figs. 4and 7) extending through the pro- When thc concrete is filled in behindand against the form 60, anchor bolts 27 mounted inthe upper portion ofthe form (about as already described in connection with Figs. 4 and'7)become firmly embedded in the correspond ing portion ofthe dam,` readyto holdthe form 60 in place when it is raised for the next fill,-exactlyin the same way as illus` trated in Fig. 5. As the forms 60 are raised'.

the anchor bolts 2i' that have held them can be removed, just as alreadydescribed in As shown connection with Figs. 4 and 7. 1n Figs. 2. 3 and8, bulkhead forms 63 such as illustrated 1n Fig. 9 may be used with thedam face forms 60', and may be similarly'- provided with transverse,vertically extend'- `ing anglebars 64. Thev may be secured to theconcrete by bolts 27 in like manner, and may' likewise carry other bolts2T for Aembedding in the concrete to hold them in place when raised thenext. lift from their positions in Fig. 9. As shown in that figure,

-each bulkhead` form 63 is made up of twol brackets 26 on the wallportion Dare just -above the footing B, and the Wall D is about to'bebuilt up its lift or course d by filling in the form 24 as set up inFig. 4: accordingly, the dam face form 60 is omitted, to signify itsremoval for use elsewhere. In Fig. 5, the Wall portion .d has been builton top of the lowermost Wall portion or course; concrete E has beenfilled in alongside for about-half its height; and the form 60'is invposition for filling in upto the brackets 26. If (as indicated in Fig.2) the damV is to be materially higher than this, the wall D may'becarried up one or more additionallifts. and the dam portion E carjrespondingly filled in along side of it. The

final course or topping f the dam may v'ary considerably'. In thespillway portion especially, the top of the dam may often be built as asingle' cross sectional unit, more ior less as hereinafter described. Asshown in Fig. 10, however, the ent-ire dam has simply been filled in andlevelled off to the full height of the wall course d shown inFig. 2. Ashereshown,A the filled in portion E of the dam is'divid-ed into apparentsections e by vertical construction joints corresponding -to thelocations of the bulkheadforms' 63 during the filling invoperationand tothe vertical joints in the wall-20.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show the dam as filled vin I only on the down streamside of the wall D,

which thus forms the upstreaml face of the dam. If desired, .additionalconcrete may be .similarly filled in on the upstream side of the wall20,-thus making the construction a ,central wall one instead of a facialwall one'. lIn this case, however,

. it will usually be .preferred to carry along lthe filling in onthe twosides of the wall D more or less concurrently.v

While the facial and bulkhead dam forms 60" and 63 may be handled andshifted from the top of the wall D,-as by means of l travelingcranes 66,66 running on the outside rails 21 or even on the outer rails 28,-

, vthe lateral distance'of the dam face, from j the -wall D may oftenlmake it desirable to are f brackets 67 and 68 (secured to the angle bars61 and 64), andonthese brackets 67 handle them from closer at hand. Asshown in Figs. 2', 8 and ,9, the formsGO and 63 provided with externalsupporting and `68 are laid tracks or rails 69 extend-v ingl along infrontoftlie facial forms' 60, around the corners, and along infront ofthe bulkhead forms 63. On this trackway 69 may be mounted vltraveling f3cranesor derricks 70 =,I(see Fig. 2) by'mea'nsv of whichthe formsections and 63 may Y i i i paratus 73. As shown, this apparatus 73comprises a truss-built traveler 7 5, of straddling type, withcooperatingsteel plate dam face forms 76,1aterally and verticali)`adjustable between its legs or sides 77 that rest and run on rails 21supported by\brackets 26 anchored to the subjacent concrete ofthe dam asalready described with reference to Fig. 4. Stay bolt rods 78 (that canbe withdrawn after the concrete has set) may extend across between thelegs 77 to prevent spreading apart of the forms 76. With adjustment ofthe wedgeblocking or other devices 79 for sustaining the forms 76,. theprofile of the latter and of the resultant dam top vI" may be varied asrequired'. With the apparatus 73, such a top F may belbuilt on the` damas shown Vin Fig. 10, thus increasingfits height and .giving it a.better form tof spillway. As

by the double Wa.lliA method to be described in connection with Figs.13,-15. As shown, the portion Gr has in its top a)l broad, lshallowchannel that will result in interengagement of F and Gr by a sort oftongue and groove construction joint.

. Referring, now, to Fig. l2, it will be seen that along the footing B arather thick, massive wall D has been built,v as by means.

of the traveling form apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4. lA laterallyover-hanging trussbuilt cantilever type of traveler 80 is arranged torun along the top of this wall D, and from one or. both of itsoverhanging ends the dam face forms 81- may be suspended, by means ofadjustable hanger rods `82. The dam facefor'ms 81 maybe stayed andsustained transversely from the wall D, as by means of stay bolt rods S3,i

taking into nuts 48 previously embedded in the wall, about 'as alreadydescribed in connection with Fig. 7. As here shown, the track 21 for thewheels of the traveler. 80

- are laid directly on top of the wall D rather than alongside it on`voverhangng brackets. Ample headroom can easily be provided between thetraveler 80 and the top of the wall `D', so as to permit the freest useof the pathway afforded by the latter for filling in the concrete at E,E beside it. When both the faceforms l81 .shown in Fig. 12 are used,

a lower dam portion G such as shown in Fig. 11 will be produced by thecenter wa-ll method; while when the forni 81 at the left is omitted, astructure more-nearly resembling that indicated in Fig. 5 will be pro'-duced by a variant of the facial wall method.

In Fig. 13 is illustrated the use of form apparatus 7 3, 73 such asshown'in Fig. 11 vto build on the footing B the upstream and downstreamfacial Iwalls H and H shown in F ig. 14, and resembling in cross sectionthe dani portions E and E filled in at either 'side of the wall D inFig. 12. As shown, these walls are separated by a space I approximatelycorresponding in width tothe wall D of Fig. l2, and the lower portion ofthe dani is eventually completed by filling in this space, alongside ofeach of the walls H, H. As slio-wn in Figs. 14 and 15, provision may bemade for end closure of the wall space by means of traveling formapparatus 85,-which, by the way, is also applicable for the like purposein the construction of the wall'D of Figs. l-lO and 12. This apparatus85 comprises a beam type of traveler 90 which rests and runs along thetops of the walls II and H over the intervening wall space I, on rails21 laid directly on thein, and a steel plate bulkhead form 91 suspendedfrom the traveler by means of adjustable hanger rods 95. To facilitateits engagement in vertic-al dovetail grooves j moulded in the walls Hand H', and its release therefrom, the steel plate bulkhead fo-rm 91 ispreferably made collapsible transversely of the wall space I. As hereshown, the form 91 is constructed in relatively movable sections, hingedtogether at 93 to swing and fold horizontally, as indicated in Fig. -15in dotted lines. Their adjustable suspension rods 95 are provided witlisupporting wheels 96 adapted to roll along the beam 90, and are thusrelatively movable along the latter, independently of one another, forfolding of the form to permit it to beshifted along iii thewall space I.l'As shown, in Fig. 15, the folding portions of the form areindividually truss-braced horizontally, and provision is made forbracing them together against undesired outward folding byl means ofextensible interconnecting turnbuckleequipped stay rods 97. Inthegrooves j, the ends of the form 91 are wedged fast and lirmly sustainedby means of blocking 98.

It will be understood, of course, that my invention is'applicable tomost. o-r all forms and ,types of dams (such as horizontal arch, beam,etc.), besides the particular forms of lthe gravity type damV hereillustrated. It will also be understood that while I have shown' thevarious portions vor blocks of the dam (e. g., the sections ,d and e inFigs. 2, 4 and 10, and the portions F and G, D4

E, Eff-and H, H', I Vin Figs 11, 12, 14. an

15) as apparently sectionalized or separated by construction joints; yetin practice such pais of a dam will generally be quite elfec- 1. Themethod for constructing concrete dams and the like, which comprisesconstructing on the foundation or footing one or more longitudinal wallsadapted to form part of the damsections and to serve as a pathway andmeans of support in further operations, and then vbuilding out the damsection with loose green concrete from and beside such wall or walls.

2. The method fo-r constructing concrete dams and the like, whichcomprises alternately building upward from the Ifoundation or footing,-to a convenientheight, a longitudinal wall adapted to Iform part of ofthe dam section and to serve as a pathway and means of support insubsequent operations, and vbuilding up to a corresponding height withloose green concrete from and against such wall.

3. The method for constructing concrete dams and the like by moldinggreen concrete with shiftable forms, which comprises molding on thefoundation or footing, with such forms, a longitudinal wall adapted toform part of the dam section and to serve as a pathway and means ofsupport in further operations, and then filling in the loose greenconcrete fro-m and between such wall and movable dam face forms.

4. The method fo-r constructing concrete dams and the like by moldinggreen con'- crete with traveling forms, which comprises molding on thefoundation or footing, with such forms, a longitudinal wall adapted toform part of the dam section and for the support of other forms andequipment, and lliiig in the loose green concrete from and between suchwall and dam face forms sustainednn position therefrom.

5. The method for constructing. monolithic concrete damsv and the like,which comprises molding one the foundation or footing one or morelongitudinal walls adapted for inclusion in the lower portion` of thedam section and for the support of concrete conveying and handlingequipment,

. and building inrwith loose green .l `concrete comprises building thelower portion of the dam on the foundation'or footing by progressivelymolding thereon one or more louitudinal walls adapted to form part ofthe am section and to serve as a .pathway andlr means of support infurther operations, tilling in and molding the rest of the lowerportions of the dam section fromy and beside such wall or walls, andmolding the upper portion of the dam on said lower portion as one crosssectional unit. v 'Y A.

7. Dam building apparatus comprising'a straddling traveller, adapted torun along track carried byl a wall, with'cooperating wall forms forupward extension of the wall wand means for supplying concrete betweensaid wall forms carried by 'saidtravellerg shiftable forms for the damface, with means for janchoring them; and a traveller also adapted torun along such track. having means fordistributing concrete between'said wall and said dam face forms.

8. Dam building apparatus comprising ltrack with bracket meansormounting the same alongthe sides of a wall; a straddling traveleradapted to run onsuch track carrying between its sides cooperating walllforms for u ward extension ofthe wall, and also carrying longitudinaltrack for cars tosupply concrete between said wall-forms; form sectionsfor'thedam face shitable upward therealong as the dam is filled inbehind them, with means for anchoring the sections to the dam in theirvarious positions, and means supported by and movable along them forshiftin them as Yfrom time to timepref quired; an atraveler adapted torun along the iirst mentioned track, over car tracks on top of the wall,and having means for elevatinglconcrete from cars on said latter tracksand for distributing it between said wall and said dam face formsections.

9. Apparatus 'of the character 'described comprising a straddlingtraveler with cooperating' wall .forms between its legs' or sides, andtrack for cars to supply concrete between said forms extendinglengthwise of the :wall oni said traveler.

10. Apparatusfof the character described comprising a straddlingtraveler with copperatin wall forms between its sides or legs, lanlbetween said forms extending along the top of said traveler lengthwiseof the wall..

11. Apparatus ofthe character described comprising a straddling travelerwith cooperating lwall forms between its -sides or legs, and track forcars to dumpY concrete' suspended from the bridge 'structure of saidtraveler over the space between said 'forms 1:2.Apparatus ofthecharacter described comprising a straddling traveler adapted to run onrails alongside of a wall over car tracks thereon, and means on saidJtraveler for taking concrete from cars on said tracks and distributingit beside said wall. v

13. Apparatus of .the character described comprising a traveler adaptedto run along theY top of a wall over car tracks thereon, means on saidtraveler for elevating concrete from cars on said tracks, andgravitational means for distributing the concrete beside' said wall.

14.l Apparatus of the character described comprising a straddlingtraveler .adapted to run `on rails alongside of :Pwall over car ltracksthereon, and means onY 'said traveler extending lupward from'besidelsuch tracks fortaking and elevating vthe concrete from cars on thetracks, for distributionv beside said wall. .A

15. Apparatus of the character described comprising a traveller adaptedto run along the top of a wall over car tracks thereon; shiftable damface forms, with means for anchoring them; and means for elevating`concrete from cars on said tracks and distributing it between said walland said forms; e .o

16. In apparatus of the character described, the combination o f damform sections shift' able Yupward as the dam is erected within them,means for anchoring the sections to the dam in 'their various positions,a. trackf wayY carried by the form sections, and means movable alongsuch trackway for shifting the form sections, as from time te time reIquired.

signed my name..

n testimony whereof I' have hereuntr' 106` track for cars'. to dumpconcrete CHRISTIAN BRYNOLDT.

